edwardes



No. 624,633. Patented May 9, H899'. F. A. EDWA'RDES.

APPARATUS Fo'n use m TRAUNG METALL|c.onEs.

(Application filed July 2, 1898.)

' '3 Sheets-Sheet l.

(N0 Model.)

Wfsses, Inl/admi No. 624,633. Patented may 9, |8199. r. A. EnwAnpEs.

APPARATUS FUR USE IN TREATING METALLIC DRES.

(Application filed July 2, 1898.)

(No Modem 3 Sheets-Sheet 2` ILT w M m P E n zang@ n s A n P u E p u F P n M H APPARATUS FOR USE IN TREATING METALLICORES.

(No Model.)

Wzmsses c llNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK AUGUSTUS EDwARD'Es, oF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN TREATING METALLIC ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 624,633, dated May 9, 1899.

u Application tiled July 2, 1898. Serial No. 685,037. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: l

Be it known that I, FREDERICK AUGUs'rU EDWARDES, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Use in the Treatment of Metallic Ores, (for which l have applied for a patent in Great Britain, No. 11,011, dated May 14,

1898,) of which the followingis a specification. My in ven tion relates to apparatus for use in the process of treatin g ores for the recovery of metals or metalloids therefrom wherein di-l The object of my invention is to simplify,

this process of skimming and to effect it more thoroughly than heretofore; and to this end it consists in the construction and application of a skimming apparatus which collects the sulfur directly it rises to the surface of the liquid in the vat, but retains it in the liquid until the process is completed, the said skimming apparatus being attached to the stirrer usually employed.

To enable my invention to be fully understood, I will describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of apparatus provided with my improvements, and Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1.

c1, is a framing carrying the apparatus, and b is a vat made of wood or other material which is not injured by the substances employed, the said vat beingmounted upon the.

beam c, provided at the ends with trunnions d d, carried in bearings in the frame a in such` a manner that the vat can be tilted. At the center of the said vat is formed a tubular portion e, through which a shaft f, which carrieslar space, in which the arms h h of the agitator travel around. The said arms h h prof ject downward from the top cross-bars of the agitator and carry at their lower ends the stirring-boards This agitator g, with its arms and boards fr' 1I, and also the upper end of the shaft f andthe cap or cover j of the tubular portion e are made of wood or other material which is unaffected by the materials used in treating ores. At the lower part of the annular space in the vat is arranged filtering material 7s, above which is placed a perforated false bottom Z, through which the liquid can percolate as it is drawn off through a cock m.

To permit of removing from the vat the' holding it steady during the operation of the apparatus.

r is a pinion mounted upon the drivingshaft s and engaging with a wheel r upon the shaft f, the said pinion being made free to slide upon the said shaft, so that it can ,be drawn back, so as not to prevent the tipping movement of the vat.

The apparatus thus far described forms no part of my invention, the description being given in order to show a complete' apparatus provided with my improvements.

t are my skimmers, which are formed of open-work-such, for instance,`as plaited or woven cane or hair-which will not be injured by the liquid. These skimmers, as shown, are attached to the arms 7L 72 of the stirrer in such a position that they are partly immersed in the liquid, their hollow or open sides facing the direction in which they move, so that any sulfur which rises to the surface of the liquid will be caught by the said skimmers and be prevented from escaping therefrom by the'pressure ot' the liquid as the stirrer rotates. As

shown, th ese stirrers are only of about half the width of the annular space of the vat, the skimmers on alternate arms being arranged IOO to skim from different portions of the surface. It is to be understood, however, that the said skimmers may extend to a greater or less eX- tent along the arms and may be of any desirable shape or construction.

u is a cover which is adapted to close the top'of the vat, the said cover being jointed upon the edge of the vat by means of a ring o, of india-rubber or other suitable material, upon which the cover lies. In practice the weight of Ithe cover will generally be sufficient to compress the india-rubber to a suiii cient extent to secure a tight joint. Should this, however, not be the case, the cover can be weighted, or clips or other suitable devices may be provided for producing the desiredv compression. The said cover has connected to it a rope or chain w, passing over pulleys'onv the frame a and which serves for lifting the cover when required.

xm are cocks placed upon the cover and which serve for drawing oit` from time to time ther gases which are given off during the treat ment of the ore, the said cocks being adapted tohave pipes connected to them in order to convey the gases to a storage-chamber or the like.

y is a funnel or filling-tube which is fixed tov the side of the vat and opens into the latter below the level of the bottom edge 4of the skimlners and through which the saturated solution and the ore to be operated upon can be introduced. e' is a plug which normally serves to close the said funnel.

One of the great advantages of my invention is that by closing the vat with a cover the escape of noxious fumes is prevented.

Although I have described my invention as applied to the treatment of suliid ores, it is to be understood that it is also applicable to the treatmeutof what are known as free-milling ores or of other ores to which sulfur is' taining the ores, of skimmers consisting of 5o perforated receptacles, located in a horizontal plane above the bottom of the vat, land means for moving said receptacles in the vat, in a plane parallel with the surface of the liquid, said receptacles being open on the side facing the direction in which they are moved through the liquid, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus for the treatment of metallic ores, the combination with a vat for containing the ores, of a revolving frame, skimmers carried by said frame, and located in a horizontal plane above the bottom of the vat, said skim-mers consisting of a perforated receptacle with the side toward the direction of rotation of said frame open, and means for revolving said frame and skim mers, substantially as described.

3. In'apparatus for the treatment of metallic ores, the combination with a vat, of a revolving frame provided with stirrers, and a series of skimmers carried by said frame, each consisting of a perforated receptacle open on the side toward the direction of rotation of the frame, and means forrevolving said frame, substantially as described.

4. In apparatus for the treatment of metallic ores the combination with a vat having a stirrer and a skimmer working in the said Vat, of a cover for hermetically closing the said vat, substantially as described.

5. In apparatus for the treatment of metallic ores, the combination of a vat having an annular space within it, a stirrer traveling around in the said annular space and a skimymer or skimmers attached to the said stirrer and moving therewith, substantially as described. 6. In apparatus for use in the treatment of metalli'c ores the combination with an annuylar vat having a stirrer moving therein and skimmers" attached to vand moving with the 'said stirrer, of means for tipping the said vat ifordischarging the contents, substantially as described. l FREDERICK AUGUSTUS EDWARDES. y Witnesses: JOHN E. BousFIELD, A. ALBUTT. 

